On the blackboard write the word conscience. Ask students to volunteer definitions.
A dictionary definition of conscience, which you might want to write on the board, is:
"The sense of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good." (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.)
Ask students if they have ever experienced their conscience strongly. Have they ever experienced it as a nuisance that wouldn't leave them alone? Have they ever been annoyed with their consciences, as Bill and Mark Twain were in the stories in their student books? On the other hand, have they ever had an experience where they followed their conscience and felt a lot of peace and gratitude afterward, glad that they had? Have they ever experienced a guilty conscience and then gotten relief when they took steps to do something to make up for whatever they had done wrong?
Using some of the symbols that students brainstormed earlier for conscience, discuss with them what makes these symbols appropriate to represent conscience? Ask them why we need a conscience.
Discuss instances in history where the human conscience was not perfect or did not direct people to do what is right and good. Encourage students to talk about both historical events and personal experiences where the conscience did not work effectively. Another good factor to bring into the discussion is this: a student going to someone in authority – a teacher, principal, or parent – and telling that person about something the student saw another classmate do that was wrong or bad. Some youth see it as being wrong to tell on someone. What do your students believe? Talk about whether or not it is good to have these “external consciences.”
Talk with the class about what they think happens when we ignore our conscience time and time again. Discuss with them situations where they did not listen to their conscience on a regular basis. Have them share what happened to them. Ask if it was harder the first time to ignore or disobey their conscience or after doing it several times.
Discuss the issue of being “legalistic”—holding ourselves to the letter of the rules at all times instead of understanding how sometimes the heart must make decisions based on mercy, understanding, kindness and the needs of a specific situation. Encourage them to look for an example of this either in their own lives or in a book, movie, or story where that point was exhibited.
The ultimate goal of this section is for students to recognize that each one of us is responsible to listen to our conscience and to keep it healthy. Discuss with the class all the different ways that they can make their consciences healthy. List them on the board. Since it is important to also act on what our conscience says is right to do, discuss with the students as to what ways they were encouraged to do the right thing during the last few weeks. Have them describe the situation fully for better understanding. If it is appropriate for your class, ask them what would be the most difficult thing they could imagine their conscience asking them to do.
The student text suggests that students take sides about what Lara should do, in the exercise "A Matter of Conscience." Consider making a class debate about it. If you have other similar “dilemmas” or examples, please feel free to use them.
Exercise: “A Matter of Conscience”
Lara was working late at night in the shop. She had been working there for six months and got along with the manager and the other workers well. The shop had a lot of nice gifts, especially perfume and women's clothes. Her best friend's birthday was only a week away, but Lara did not have any money and knew that she would not be able to give her the [[#|gift]] she had planned to buy. She had saved her money for three months so that she could buy a special bottle of perfume from the shop for her friend, but Lara's mother had unexpectedly needed the money, which Lara gave to her. Now she felt terrible. That night the storeowner left Lara alone to close the shop. He really trusted her, she thought. Five minutes before closing, a lady came into the shop to return a bottle of perfume she had bought that day. Amazingly, it was the same perfume Lara had wanted to get for her friend! The woman received her money and left the perfume. Lara sat alone in the store thinking. If she took the bottle no one would ever know — besides it was only one little bottle of perfume and the storeowner had a lot of money. She deserved it, she thought; she had worked hard. But could she really take it? Even if the storeowner would never know, it was still stealing. Even if her friend would love it, how would she feel if she knew her birthday present was stolen?
After the students have debated, have them write down their own answers to the Questions for Discussion in their student books.
Questions for Discussion
1. What do you feel Lara would do if she followed her conscience?
2. What would she do if she did not follow her conscience?
3. What considerations does Lara have to make?
4. What if you were in her position? How do you think you would react?
5. If a person's actions do not directly hurt another person, but are still dishonest, is the action any more acceptable?
Introduce the word "rationalization" to the students. This is a way that people have of using their reason to justify actions that they know in their hearts are wrong. Ask students in what ways can a person rationalize doing something wrong even when inside he knows it is wrong? Ask for examples.
More questions to consider as a class: - In what ways does our conscience influence our decision-making? - Does guilt ever influence us to do or not to do something? - How can guilt be constructive? - How can guilt be destructive? - If people did not have a conscience, what do you think the world would be like? - In what ways can our conscience be like a good friend?
In pairs ask students to discuss and share with the class their responses to the following questions:
Many times people know what is right, but choose to do what is wrong. Can you think of any examples of such behavior? Why do you think it is sometimes much more difficult to do what is right?
Classroom Session 2:
Inner Conflict
Procedure
1. Ask students the question: How many of you have ever had a "debate with yourself"? Raise your hand if you have. Inform them that most people have had such debates: it is called an inner conflict. In these situations one part of ourselves wants to do what we know to be right while another part wants to do what we know is not right.
2. The part of us that wants to do what is right is our conscience. We are all familiar with that "voice in our head" telling us to do something, or not to do something. Our consciences also make us feel guilty after we have done something wrong.
3. Ask for three volunteers. First they will read the Sample Script. Then, the volunteers will act out the three parts in the script. One student plays the role of the person in conflict. The other two represent the two voices: one, the good unselfish voice; the other the bad selfish voice.
4. After the script has been acted out, ask the class the following questions: - In what ways does your "good" voice encourage you to do what you know is right? - In what ways does your "bad" voice encourage you to do things which you know are wrong?
5. In groups of three have students choose one of the situations from What Do I Do? (Or, better yet, they can create their own).
6. One by one ask each group to act out their situation (either from What Do I Do? or from their own creation), followed each time by a reflective discussion.
7. You may tell students that in many difficult situations there is no clear right or wrong answer. In some situations the most important factor is the ability of the person experiencing an inner conflict to act in harmony with his/her conscience.
Resource 1: Sample Script
Three roles: Good Voice, Bad Voice, Person in Conflict Situation: Tatiana has found her older brother outside their apartment building late at night. He is drunk and is sleeping on the ground. Tatiana wants to bring him up to their apartment. She is very concerned about him, as she knows he almost never drinks alcohol. She is in a dilemma, however. She had promised her father she would be home early in the evening, but she stayed out very late. Her father always goes to sleep early, trusting that she will keep her word. If she wakes up her father to help bring her brother up to the apartment both she and her brother will be in terrible trouble. Tatiana: "Peter, wake-up! You have to get yourself up to the apartment!" (Peter does not move and is obviously going to need someone to carry him). Bad Voice: "Come on, Tatiana, just leave him here. It’s warm out. He’ll be all right." Good Voice: "Go and wake up your father now! You should have come home on time, and now you are going to have to face up to lying. You simply cannot leave your older brother out here. Who knows what could happen to him!" Tatiana: "I cannot leave him here, but I am really going to get punished." Bad Voice: "You had better think about yourself. Who cares about Peter? Remember that time when he took your favorite dress and gave it to your cousin for the New Year? What a jerk! You do not owe him anything. He treats you pretty badly!" Tatiana: "What should I do? If Dad finds out I will not be allowed to go out and see my friends next weekend, and Mary's having a birthday party!" Good Voice: "I cannot believe you would even consider leaving Peter out here until the morning just to save yourself! How would you feel if he did that to you? He is your brother! You should treat him the way you want him to treat you even if he doesn’t! Don’t be so selfish! Go get your father right away!!"
Resource 2: What Do I Do?
A. You want to go visit your friend, but your mother won’t allow you because it is dark out and she worries when you go any further than your own apartment block. You think about taking the dog out for a walk in order to sneak over to see your friend, but you know your mother would be terribly upset. B. You see your friend take another student's cassette tape which the student had brought to school. When the student tells the teacher her cassette is missing, you do not know what to do. You do not know whether to confront your friend, secretly tell the teacher the truth, or just be sorry you saw anything. C. You hear two older and very popular students talking about your best friend. You feel angry at the nasty things they are saying, but you know they will treat you terribly if you stand-up for your friend. You have three choices: you can defend your friend, you can walk past and pretend you do not hear them, or you can run to your friend and tell him/her exactly what was said.
After the role-playing, have students do the Questions for Discussion in their student books. The Reflection Exercise is then a more personal reflection on a time when they experienced obedience or disobedience to their conscience in more detail.
Questions for Discussion 1. What is conscience?
2. Can you think of a situation when you violated your conscience?
3. Can you think of a situation when you followed your conscience?
4. In each of these situations, how did you feel afterwards?
5. How did these experiences affect the development of your character?
6. What is guilt?
7. Did you ever feel guilty about something you did? Why?
8. Is there something that you once thought was okay and now believe it to be wrong?
9. Is there something that you once thought was wrong and now believe it to be okay?
10. What happens if you simply ignore your conscience?
Reflection Exercise
Think of an experience in your life when you strongly felt your conscience speaking to you. What were the circumstances? Who were the people involved? What did you do and what was the outcome? Did this have a lasting effect on your life in any way?
On the blackboard write the word conscience. Ask students to volunteer definitions.
A dictionary definition of conscience, which you might want to write on the board, is:
"The sense of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good." (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.)
Ask students if they have ever experienced their conscience strongly. Have they ever experienced it as a nuisance that wouldn't leave them alone? Have they ever been annoyed with their consciences, as Bill and Mark Twain were in the stories in their student books? On the other hand, have they ever had an experience where they followed their conscience and felt a lot of peace and gratitude afterward, glad that they had? Have they ever experienced a guilty conscience and then gotten relief when they took steps to do something to make up for whatever they had done wrong?
Using some of the symbols that students brainstormed earlier for conscience, discuss with them what makes these symbols appropriate to represent conscience? Ask them why we need a conscience.
Discuss instances in history where the human conscience was not perfect or did not direct people to do what is right and good. Encourage students to talk about both historical events and personal experiences where the conscience did not work effectively. Another good factor to bring into the discussion is this: a student going to someone in authority – a teacher, principal, or parent – and telling that person about something the student saw another classmate do that was wrong or bad. Some youth see it as being wrong to tell on someone. What do your students believe? Talk about whether or not it is good to have these “external consciences.”
Talk with the class about what they think happens when we ignore our conscience time and time again. Discuss with them situations where they did not listen to their conscience on a regular basis. Have them share what happened to them. Ask if it was harder the first time to ignore or disobey their conscience or after doing it several times.
Discuss the issue of being “legalistic”—holding ourselves to the letter of the rules at all times instead of understanding how sometimes the heart must make decisions based on mercy, understanding, kindness and the needs of a specific situation. Encourage them to look for an example of this either in their own lives or in a book, movie, or story where that point was exhibited.
The ultimate goal of this section is for students to recognize that each one of us is responsible to listen to our conscience and to keep it healthy. Discuss with the class all the different ways that they can make their consciences healthy. List them on the board. Since it is important to also act on what our conscience says is right to do, discuss with the students as to what ways they were encouraged to do the right thing during the last few weeks. Have them describe the situation fully for better understanding. If it is appropriate for your class, ask them what would be the most difficult thing they could imagine their conscience asking them to do.
The student text suggests that students take sides about what Lara should do, in the exercise "A Matter of Conscience." Consider making a class debate about it. If you have other similar “dilemmas” or examples, please feel free to use them.
Exercise: “A Matter of Conscience”
Lara was working late at night in the shop. She had been working there for six months and got along with the manager and the other workers well. The shop had a lot of nice gifts, especially perfume and women's clothes. Her best friend's birthday was only a week away, but Lara did not have any money and knew that she would not be able to give her the [[#|gift]] she had planned to buy. She had saved her money for three months so that she could buy a special bottle of perfume from the shop for her friend, but Lara's mother had unexpectedly needed the money, which Lara gave to her. Now she felt terrible.
That night the storeowner left Lara alone to close the shop. He really trusted her, she thought. Five minutes before closing, a lady came into the shop to return a bottle of perfume she had bought that day. Amazingly, it was the same perfume Lara had wanted to get for her friend! The woman received her money and left the perfume. Lara sat alone in the store thinking. If she took the bottle no one would ever know — besides it was only one little bottle of perfume and the storeowner had a lot of money. She deserved it, she thought; she had worked hard. But could she really take it? Even if the storeowner would never know, it was still stealing. Even if her friend would love it, how would she feel if she knew her birthday present was stolen?
After the students have debated, have them write down their own answers to the Questions for Discussion in their student books.
Questions for Discussion
1. What do you feel Lara would do if she followed her conscience?
2. What would she do if she did not follow her conscience?
3. What considerations does Lara have to make?
4. What if you were in her position? How do you think you would react?
5. If a person's actions do not directly hurt another person, but are still dishonest, is the action any more acceptable?
Introduce the word "rationalization" to the students. This is a way that people have of using their reason to justify actions that they know in their hearts are wrong. Ask students in what ways can a person rationalize doing something wrong even when inside he knows it is wrong? Ask for examples.
More questions to consider as a class:
- In what ways does our conscience influence our decision-making?
- Does guilt ever influence us to do or not to do something?
- How can guilt be constructive?
- How can guilt be destructive?
- If people did not have a conscience, what do you think the world would be like?
- In what ways can our conscience be like a good friend?
In pairs ask students to discuss and share with the class their responses to the following questions:
Many times people know what is right, but choose to do what is wrong. Can you think of any examples of such behavior? Why do you think it is sometimes much more difficult to do what is right?
Classroom Session 2:
Inner Conflict
Procedure
1. Ask students the question: How many of you have ever had a "debate with yourself"? Raise your hand if you have. Inform them that most people have had such debates: it is called an inner conflict. In these situations one part of ourselves wants to do what we know to be right while another part wants to do what we know is not right.
2. The part of us that wants to do what is right is our conscience. We are all familiar with that "voice in our head" telling us to do something, or not to do something. Our consciences also make us feel guilty after we have done something wrong.
3. Ask for three volunteers. First they will read the Sample Script. Then, the volunteers will act out the three parts in the script. One student plays the role of the person in conflict. The other two represent the two voices: one, the good unselfish voice; the other the bad selfish voice.
4. After the script has been acted out, ask the class the following questions:
- In what ways does your "good" voice encourage you to do what you know is right?
- In what ways does your "bad" voice encourage you to do things which you know are wrong?
5. In groups of three have students choose one of the situations from What Do I Do? (Or, better yet, they can create their own).
6. One by one ask each group to act out their situation (either from What Do I Do? or from their own creation), followed each time by a reflective discussion.
7. You may tell students that in many difficult situations there is no clear right or wrong answer. In some situations the most important factor is the ability of the person experiencing an inner conflict to act in harmony with his/her conscience.
Resource 1: Sample Script
Three roles: Good Voice, Bad Voice, Person in Conflict
Situation: Tatiana has found her older brother outside their apartment building late at night. He is drunk and is sleeping on the ground. Tatiana wants to bring him up to their apartment. She is very concerned about him, as she knows he almost never drinks alcohol. She is in a dilemma, however. She had promised her father she would be home early in the evening, but she stayed out very late. Her father always goes to sleep early, trusting that she will keep her word. If she wakes up her father to help bring her brother up to the apartment both she and her brother will be in terrible trouble.
Tatiana: "Peter, wake-up! You have to get yourself up to the apartment!" (Peter does not move and is obviously going to need someone to carry him).
Bad Voice: "Come on, Tatiana, just leave him here. It’s warm out. He’ll be all right."
Good Voice: "Go and wake up your father now! You should have come home on time, and now you are going to have to face up to lying. You simply cannot leave your older brother out here. Who knows what could happen to him!"
Tatiana: "I cannot leave him here, but I am really going to get punished."
Bad Voice: "You had better think about yourself. Who cares about Peter? Remember that time when he took your favorite dress and gave it to your cousin for the New Year? What a jerk! You do not owe him anything. He treats you pretty badly!"
Tatiana: "What should I do? If Dad finds out I will not be allowed to go out and see my friends next weekend, and Mary's having a birthday party!"
Good Voice: "I cannot believe you would even consider leaving Peter out here until the morning just to save yourself! How would you feel if he did that to you? He is your brother! You should treat him the way you want him to treat you even if he doesn’t! Don’t be so selfish! Go get your father right away!!"
Resource 2: What Do I Do?
A. You want to go visit your friend, but your mother won’t allow you because it is dark out and she worries when you go any further than your own apartment block. You think about taking the dog out for a walk in order to sneak over to see your friend, but you know your mother would be terribly upset.
B. You see your friend take another student's cassette tape which the student had brought to school. When the student tells the teacher her cassette is missing, you do not know what to do. You do not know whether to confront your friend, secretly tell the teacher the truth, or just be sorry you saw anything.
C. You hear two older and very popular students talking about your best friend. You feel angry at the nasty things they are saying, but you know they will treat you terribly if you stand-up for your friend. You have three choices: you can defend your friend, you can walk past and pretend you do not hear them, or you can run to your friend and tell him/her exactly what was said.
After the role-playing, have students do the Questions for Discussion in their student books. The Reflection Exercise is then a more personal reflection on a time when they experienced obedience or disobedience to their conscience in more detail.
Questions for Discussion
1. What is conscience?
2. Can you think of a situation when you violated your conscience?
3. Can you think of a situation when you followed your conscience?
4. In each of these situations, how did you feel afterwards?
5. How did these experiences affect the development of your character?
6. What is guilt?
7. Did you ever feel guilty about something you did? Why?
8. Is there something that you once thought was okay and now believe it to be wrong?
9. Is there something that you once thought was wrong and now believe it to be okay?
10. What happens if you simply ignore your conscience?
Reflection Exercise
Think of an experience in your life when you strongly felt your conscience speaking to you. What were the circumstances? Who were the people involved? What did you do and what was the outcome? Did this have a lasting effect on your life in any way?